The way I see it, there is a deep dissatisfaction, a hunger that cannot be truly satiated with worldly things. We get a bit of a buzz, a temporary distraction from this hunger when we get something. But once the novelty wears off, we become once again aware of it. This is the deep dukkha at the core...

It is clear that in France and elsewhere in Europe many Muslims have neither assimilated nor really integrated even. And this is the issue. I think in Australia it is less of a problem though it exists here as well. Again many people integrate well, live as good neighbours and citizens so we should...

Janalanda, I said My experience has been of generous outgoing and helpful people, and great food. Hope some of that rubs off! I don't think it's hard to see that if we are open we learn the good qualities from the people we interact with. But in any case I dont have a problem with people of differen...

And in Dan's utopia everybody lives happily and respectfully side by side enjoying the incredible mosaic of cultures that is humanity. Learning from each other. In this picture I wholeheartedly agree with Kim, Mr Man and other progressive posters who uphold humanities highest values. Do you actuall...

While I agree that in an ideal world's everybody would be free to wear what they want, my impression is that if mainstream parties adopted this line in the current climate in France it would play into the hands of the extreme right and further inflame tensions. This sounds like "peace in our time"....

I found Paul's comment gracious and sensible, but nevertheless I stand with Mr Man on this one. As far as I can tell Paul had a lot to do with Ben's departure which was handled in a very poor manner indeed, and this magnanimous post by Paul leaves this sad fact and his role in it completely unacknow...

I'm a little confused about the logic of this ban prime minister Manuel Valls (...) stated: "It is the expression of a political project, a counter-society, based notably on the enslavement of women." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burqini#Reactions Valls would have said that in Thailand the outfit ...

If people want to worship at these ancient pagodas, they can still do so. The damage will serve as a reminder of impermanence. World Heritage status is all about tourism, not about the Dhamma. Local people can make merit by repairing the damage as they wish. No one needs to be paid to perform merit...

There's no need to rebuild the temples of Bagan. Burma need to rebuild Buddhism by supporting the study monasteries and meditation centres, wherever the monks are practising well. Investing in bricks and mortar in an earhquake-prone zone is not a wise use of limited resources. Bagan is a World Heri...

It is extreme in its own way, but to begin to understand it, we need to look at how important it is for the French to keep the religion out of them public domain. It's almost like the gun ownership issue in the US, hard for the rest of the world to comprehend without a serious study of the relevant...

It is extreme in its own way, but to begin to understand it, we need to look at how important it is for the French to keep the religion out of them public domain. This http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/burkini-ban-muslim-women-france-nice-beach-forced-undress-liberation-burkha-islam-dear-white-pe...

If you meditate more you will be able to sleep less (at least eventually). I'm pretty lax myself at the moment and I have all the usual excuses. At the end of the day it's a matter of priorities and 1500 calories version can gradually move to 1200 etc. But even more important is how we live in betwe...

It is extreme in its own way, but to begin to understand it, we need to look at how important it is for the French to keep the religion out of them public domain. It's almost like the gun ownership issue in the US, hard for the rest of the world to comprehend without a serious study of the relevant ...

I think it's a good question, No_Mind. But I am wondering - whatever our constraints, don't we want to make the most of them? So your fat guy with a fractured hip, he could stuff himself like there's no tomorrow, seeing that he is not able to exercise the way he wants to. Or he could eat healthily a...

Do you want a discussion of jhana or do you want a discussion of what emptiness means? Do you want to inhale or do you want to exhale? Please surprise us. Not sure if this tone is skillful for one practitioner to adopt towards another, but to return back to the topic, isn't just about any Buddhist ...

Binocular, I have you in higher regard than that. Would you say that what happened in Awschwitz to jews, blacks and roma, is comparable to the suffering of unemployment? It's not as if torturers, enslavers and mass murderers, wether nazis or communists, treated their victims psychologically well ap...